Indian-origin Democrat Pia Tandia won Florida’s newly created 22nd congressional district in the US midterm elections. She defeated former Navy veteran Casey Askar, securing 51.9% of the vote against his 49.1%, according to the source report.
Florida’s 22nd district is considered one of the most challenging seats for the Democratic Party. Chinthan Patel, executive director of the organisation Indian American Impact, congratulated Tandia on the win.
Tandia was born to a couple who migrated from India to the United States. At 28, she started a school for underprivileged students and became a high school principal at a very young age, drawing wide attention. A former educator and technology innovator, she now takes a seat in the US House of Representatives.
Other Indian-origin leaders also fared well. Democrat Suhas Subramanyam was re-elected in Virginia’s 10th district. Ami Bera is in a strong position in California, Ro Khanna leads in Silicon Valley, and Pramila Jayapal leads in Washington. Aruna Miller was re-elected as Lieutenant Governor of Maryland.
In a separate first, Democrat Chris Pappas, who is openly gay, won a US Senate race. Contesting in New Hampshire, he secured 58.4% of the vote and defeated the Republican candidate backed by President Trump.
